. SECTION I. 495. Gen. xxi. 17. God heard the voice of the lad, Ishmaei,. and the angel of God called untoHagar out of heaven ; Arise, lft up the lad, for Iwill make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. Here is a person speaking, who seems to assume something of godhead, who yet is called the angel of God : But whether there was any visible appearance, the scripture saith not. Gen. xxii. 11. The angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven, and said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, that is, Isaac, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thouhast not withheld thy Son, thy only Son fromme. Verse 14. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh. Verse 15. And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, that in blessing. I will bless thee, because thou hast obeyed my voice. Here also is an angel ofJehovah, who seems to assume the character of deity : but whether there was a visible appearance or onlya voice is not certain. Gen. xxvi. 2. And the Lord, Jehovah, appeared unto Isaac and said, Go not down into the land of Egypt ; sojourn to this land, and I will be with thee, and I will bless thee, Iwill perform the oath which I -sware unto Abraham thy father. Verse 24. And when Isaac went to Beersheba, the Lord appeared to him thesame night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy Father : Fear not, for I ant with thee. Besides these two I remember not any other appearance of God to Isaac. The two first appearances which we read that God made, unto Jacob, were both in adream ; one in Gen. xxviii. 12. The angels of God ascending and descending on a ladder, set up on the earth and reaching to heaven ; and behold the Lord, or Jehovah, stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thyfather, and the God of Isaac. Gen. xxviii. 12, 13. and verse 16. Jacob said, surely the Lord is in this place. Gen. xxxi. 11. 13. And the angel of God spake unto the in . a dream, saying, Jacob ; and I said, here am i : And he said, I am the God of Bethel, where thou vowedst a vow unto me. Here is an angel in a divine or inspired dream calling himself the God of Bethel. And verse 24. God carne to Laban the Syrian by night in a dream, and said to him. Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob neither good nor bad. Doubtless these ancients had sufficient rules of distinction to know when such a dream was divine. Gen. xxxii. 24. "And Jacob was left alone, when his wives and children were gone over the ford, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day : And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh : And Jacob replied, I will not let thee goexcept thou bless me : And he said, Thy name shall be
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